The First Girl Ranger
by sugar1113
Summary: Isabel is a ward like Will. They aren't related, but their relationship has always been like a brother/sister type thing. Choosing Day comes to Redmont and what will Isabel choose, will she be able to stay with Will? I update weekly and please leave reviews.
1. Chapter 1

**Isabel's POV**

It was Choosing Day and Isabel was very nervous. She had no idea what she wanted to be. She wasn't very good at cooking and her diplomatic skills were next to none. She couldn't lie for the life of her and doing things that were unethical made her really uncomfortable.

Right at that moment, Martin was introducing each of the wards before the Craft masters. There was Master Chubb ,who was the head cook; Nigel, who was the Scribe Master; Ulf, the Horse Master; Sir Rodney, the Battlemaster; and Lady Pauline, who was the head of diplomatic studies in Redmont. Horace chose battle school and was accepted, no surprise. George was accepted into Scribe school, again, as suspected. Alias went into Diplomatics, sort of surprising but not very. Jenny went to be a cooking apprentice. And then it was down to her and Will. She and Will had been dropped off at the ward building at Redmont Fief fifteen years ago. They both had no indication as to who they were except that there had been a note sitting next to Will when they were found. The note had said: "_His name is Will. His father died in the war. Her name is Isabel. Her father is currently serving the king but didn't want the trouble of a baby. Please take care of them both_." The whole thing about them being family-less made them more sympathetic to each other. They had become extremely close and never went anywhere without each other. Their relationship was that of a sister and a brother, and they had both vowed that it would never become anything else.

Now, Will was right before her since he was just a bit taller and she gave him a comforting smile.

"Will, sir. My name is Will," he said hesitantly.

"Will? Will what? What's your family name, boy?" Martin asked.

"Will, along with Isabel, is a special case," Baron Arald stated. Martin nodded and motioned for Will to continue.

"Battle school, please, my lord,," Will said firmly.

"Battleschool, Will? You don't think you're … a little on the small side?" the Baron asked. Isabel cringed and moved to stand next to Will. She grabbed his hand and he squeezed hers firmly.

"I haven't had my growing spurt yet, sir. Everybody says that," Will tried.

"Rodney?" the Baron asked. The tall knight studied Will for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

"I'm afraid he's too small, sir," the knight stated.

"I'm stronger than I look, sir," Will tried to start, but it did nothing.

"Any second choice, Will?" the Baron asked gently.

"Horse school, sir?" Will said, it came out as a question and Isabel had to keep herself from cringing. Ulf was already shaking his head.

"I need apprentices, my lord. But this one's too small. He'd never control one of my battle horses. They'd stomp him to the ground as soon as look at him," Ulf said firmly. Isabel could feel Wills hand grow warm in hers and she knew he was close to crying.

"What skills do you have?" the Baron asked.

"I'm a good climber, sir," Will said softly. Chubb, the cook, glared at him angrily.

"He can climb, all right. I remember when him and his shadow climbed up a drainpipe into my kitchen and stole a tray of sweetcakes that were cooling on the windowsill," Chubb told them. Isabel felt her cheeks burning and she knew that he was embarrassed too for being called out about a childish prank from two years ago.

"And just last spring he climbed up to our third floor study and turned two rabbits loose during one of our legal debates. Most disruptive. Absolutely!" Nigel, the Scribe master, added.

"Rabbits, you say, Scribe master?" the Baron asked.

"A male and a female rabbit, my lord, if you take my meaning?" he replied.

"Most disruptive indeed! And that young girl beside him followed him up and tried to help him but she got caught as well," the Scribe master said with a furrowed brow. Isabel had to stop herself from arguing that she had actually been trying to stop Will from pulling the immature prank.

"Well, yes. We all know how rabbits are," said the Baron.

"And, as I said, my lord, it was _spring_," Nigel went on. Lady Pauline gave an undignified snort and the Baron looked at her for a second before looking back at Will.

"Is there any of you who could use this boy?" the Baron asked. Surprisingly, it was the Ranger who broke the horrid silence.

"There is something you should know about the boy and the girl, my lord," he said. Isabel had never heard Halt speak before and she was slightly surprised at the deep voice. It was soft-spoken and Isabel could sense a slight hint of a Hibernian accent. The Ranger stepped forward and handed the Baron a sheet of folded paper. Baron Arald unfolded it an studied the words written upon it.

"You're sure of this, Halt?" he asked, a bit incredulously.

"Indeed, my lord," the Ranger replied.

"I'll have to think on this overnight," the Baron stated. Halt nodded and stepped back, seeming to fade into the shadows. Isabel could see the silhouette of him against the wall and she looked at him curiously.

"Well, Isabel, what craft would you like to apprentice?" Martin asked.

"I'd prefer to stay with Will if possible, my lord," Isabel said quietly. The Baron nodded and shooed them all off to dinner.

Later that night, Isabel was following Will through the courtyard. It was very quiet and the stars looked beautiful as they lit up the dark sky.

"Please Will, think about this. We don't need to know what was on the paper right now. Baron Arald will probably tell us in the morning. It's amazing outside, let's just enjoy the fresh night air," Isabel tried to stop her best friend.

"Izzie, aren't you curious. It will plague me forever if I don't do this," Will asked her.

"I am so consumed with curiosity that I might burst. But things take time. It will be so much better if we find out in the morning or if we ask the Baron what the note said. Please, you remember what happened with the rabbit incident. I tried to stop you, but you didn't listen and I got punished as well. Don't be a fool, let's enjoy the night. We can go try to ride the battle horses or something else dangerous if you want. Please, Will," Isabel tried to reason with him.

"Shh, and no. Go back to the dorms if you want to, but I'm going to do it. You in?" Will asked.

"Yeah, I'd never leave you to do this by yourself. But I get to say I told you so when this goes south," Isabel conceded. Will gave her a smile and they watched the guards rotate along the walls of the castle. Eventually, they found the pattern and started across the open courtyard. Most people would have taken the obvious routes that were concealed by trees or other things but Will and Isabel knew how to match the movement of the trees and stay unnoticed. The sentry on duty wasn't looking at the open courtyard and he didn't see them at all. Isabel went up the wall first and then she waited for Will. He came up next to her and they both stared at the not for a second. Isabel felt eyes upon her and she looked up to see the Ranger Halt watching Will. The Ranger took no notice of her and she opened her mouth to warn Will when he reached out to grab the note. Halt suddenly grabbed Will's hand and Will gave a startled sound as he looked at the Ranger. Isabel closed her mouth and sighed. Both Will and Halt turned to look at her as if they had forgotten she was there.

"Thought you might try something like this," the Ranger said in a low voice. Will's face morphed into one of shame and despair.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Halt asked. Will and Isabel slowly shook their heads.

"Well, let's see what the Baron thinks about this," the ranger stated calmly.

"Please, Halt! Not …" Will trailed off and Isabel knew he was resolving to face his punishment like a man.

"What?" Halt asked curtly.

"Nothing," Will replied. Halt gave a short nod before dragging Will out of the room and up the winding stairs to the Baron's living quarters. The sentries at the head of the stairs looked up in surprise at the sight of the grim faced Ranger and the two children beside him. At a brief signal from Halt, they stood aside and opened the doors into the Baron's apartment.

The room was brightly lit and both Isabel and Will looked around the room. Isabel had seen the lights dim from the outside and she had been sure they were never this bright. She saw the heavy drapes across the windows and understood. In contrast to the Baron's sparsely furnished working quarters below, this room was a comfortable clutter of settees, footstools, carpets, tapestries and armchairs. In one of these, Baron Arald sat reading through a pile of reports. He looked up from the paper he was holding as Halt entered with his captive and Isabel trailing along behind.

"So you were right," the Baron said in a tone that showed he wasn't surprised with the Ranger's prediction. Halt nodded.

"Just as I said, my lord. Came across the castle yard like a shadow. Dodged the sentry as if he wasn't there and then came up the castle wall like a spider," Halt replied. The Baron set the paper down and leaned forward.

"He climbed the ladder, you say?" The Baron asked.

"No rope. No ladder, my lord. Climbed it as easily as you get on your horse in the morning. Easier, in fact," Halt said, with just the ghost of a smile. The Baron frowned and Isabel did too. She knew the Baron was a bit self conscious about himself being a tad overweight and now was hardly the time to mention that.

"What of the girl?" the Baron asked.

"She formed just as well as the boy, a tad bit better, in fact. I had a tough time even keeping track of her," Halt answered.

"Well now," the Baron started, looking sternly at Will and Isabel. "This is a serious matter."

Neither Will nor Isabel said anything. Isabel wished that Halt had not put the Baron in a bad mood by referring to his weight. That would not make the Baron go any easier on them. The Baron fingered his beard as he spoke.

"So what shall we do with you two, Will and Isabel?" The Baron questioned, but it looked more as if he were talking to Halt rather than them.

"Tell me, young Will. What would you do with a boy and a girl who broke into your office in the middle of the night and tried to steal an important document?" Baron Arald asked.

"I wasn't stealing, my lord," Will said quickly. Isabel cringed as the Baron looked at him with one eyebrow raised in apparent disbelief.

"I just … wanted to see it, that's all," Will finished weakly.

"Perhaps so," said the Baron, eyebrow still raised. "But you still haven't answered my question. What would you do in my place?"

Will hung his head and Isabel grabbed his hand. She tossed him a meaningful glance and he sighed.

"My lord …" Will began hesitantly. The baron regarded him, still half turned from the window.

"Yes?" the Baron prompted.

"My lord, I don't know what I would do in your place. I do know there is no excuse for my actions and I will accept whatever punishment you decide," Will said softly. Isabel saw a quick gleam of approval in the Ranger Halt's eyes but it soon vanished.

"And you? Young Isabel?" the Baron inquired.

"What I did was wrong and neither of us should have gone about this the way we did. I will accept whatever punishment you give us," Isabel stated evenly. That same flash of approval went through Halt's eyes but it was strangely accompanied by pride. It was gone too quickly for Isabel to analyze.

"Any suggestions, Halt?" Baron Arald asked in a neutral tone.

"Perhaps we should show them the paper they were so keen to see, my lord," Halt said, producing the folded paper from his sleeve. The Baron gave a small secret smile.

"Not a bad idea. I suppose, in a way, it does spell out their punishment. Doesn't it?" the Baron asked. Isabel looked between the two men in confusion. The Baron was amused by something but Halt was wearing the same blank expression as always.

"If you say so, my lord," Halt replied evenly. The Baron waved a hand at him impatiently.

"Take a joke, Halt! Take a joke! Well go on, show him the paper," Baron Arald said with a bigger smile. Halt crossed the room and handed Will the paper that he had risked so much to see. Isabel nudged him and he slowly unfolded the note.

_The boy, Will, has the potential to be trained as a Ranger. I will accept him as my apprentice. The girl also has potential, I would consider taking her as well._


	2. Chapter 2

{ So just so everyone is on the same page, I use these weird parentheses to show my comments. Also, Thank you all so much for reading! I'm updating early because I'm starting this huge writing assignment and I fear that I'll forget. }

**Will's POV **

Will stared at the note in shock and risked looking up at the two men in front of him. His first reaction was one of relief. He wasn't going to be alone and Isabel would be able to come with him. And he wasn't going to be punished for his actions in the Baron's study. Then that initial sense of relief gave way to a sudden, nagging doubt. He knew nothing about Rangers, beyond myth and superstition. He knew nothing about Halt - apart from the fact that the grim, gray-faced figure had made feel nervous whenever he was around. Now he was being assigned to spend all of his time with the Ranger and he wasn't sure if he liked that idea.

The Baron's smile faded as if he were surprised or puzzled by Will's reaction. Halt's face was blank.

"Well, what do you say?" the Baron asked in an encouraging tone. Will drew a deep breath.

"Thank you, sir … my lord," he said uncertainly. What if the Baron's earlier joke about the note containing his punishment was more serious than he thought? Maybe being assigned to be Halt's apprentice was the worse punishment the Baron could have chosen.

"I accept, my lord," Isabel said softly. Her voice startled Will and he had almost forgotten she was there. The Baron sighed and looked at the Ranger.

"Perhaps you might give us a few minutes alone, Halt and Isabel? I'd like to have a word with Will in private," the Baron told them in a serious tone.

"Certainly, my lord," Halt said in that gravelly voice. Isabel gave a nod and gave Will an undecipherable look. Both Isabel and Halt didn't say anything more and walked out the door. Isabel's feet made soft pattering sounds as she walked while Halt barely seemed to walk as much as silently glide. The door shut behind them and Will shivered.

"Sit down, Will," The Baron gestured to a low armchair that was across from him. Will sat nervously on the edge of it and faced the Baron's scrutinizing look.

"You don't seem very pleased with my decision," the Baron stated, sounding disappointed. This reaction surprised Will. He hadn't thought that a powerful figure like the Baron would care what an insignificant ward like himself thought.

"Would you prefer to work as a farmhand?" Baron Arald questioned. Will hurriedly shook his head.

"No, sir!" he said hastily. The Baron made a small, questioning gesture with his hands.

"Well then, would you prefer that I punished you somehow for what you've done?" the Baron asked.

"It's just that … I'm not sure that you haven't," Will said hesitantly. He knew that the Baron held Halt in some esteem and Will was afraid that he might have offended him when a small frown appeared on the Baron's face.

"Of course, people say they're black magicians, don't they?" the Baron agreed. Will shook his head quickly before reconsidering and slowly nodding. The Baron leaned back a bit in his chair.

"Tell me, Will, do you find Halt to be a frightening person?" Baron Arald asked.

"No, sir!" Will said hastily, then as the Baron held his gaze he reluctantly added, "Well … maybe a bit."

"The Rangers are a mysterious group of people. But there's nothing about them to be frightened of - unless you're an enemy of the people. Are you an enemy of the people, Will?" the Baron asked. Wil's eyes widened in sudden fright.

"No, sir!" Will said quickly.

"All right, all right," he said reassuringly. "I know you're not but believe me I thought you'd be glad of this appointment - an adventurous lad like you should take to the life of a Ranger like a duck to water. It's a big opportunity for you, Will," the baron told him. Will paused and considered it.

"It's just that Halt seems so grim all the time," he said.

"He certainly doesn't have my sparkling sense of humor," the Baron agreed, then, as Will looked blankly at him, he muttered something under his breath. Will wasn't sure what he done to upset him, so he thought it best to change the subject.

"But … what does a Ranger actually do, my Lord?" he asked. Once again, the bear and shook his head. "That's for Halt to tell you himself. There a quirky group and they don't like other people talking about them too much. Now, perhaps you should go back to your quarters and try to get some sleep. You're to report to Halt's cottage with Isabel at six o'clock in the morning," the Baron told him. Will nodded.

"Yes, my lord," he replied, rising from his uncomfortable perch on the edge of the chair. He wasn't sure if he was going to enjoy the life of a Ranger's apprentice, but it appeared he had no choice in the matter. At least he would have Isabel. He bowed to the Baron and then walked out the door.

**Meanwhile, Isabel's POV**

The door clicked shut behind her and the Ranger leaned against the wall as they waited. She stared at him a moment before speaking.

"Why do you want me as your apprentice! I'm a girl," se stated bluntly. The corner of his lips twitched as if he was trying not to smile.

"Lady Pauline has been going on and on for quite a time about how unfair it is that a girl cannot become a Ranger. I have been looking for a potential candidate and you were strikingly perfect for the job," Halt told her easily.

"How so?" she inquired.

"The main traits that a Ranger looks for in an apprentice are curiosity, honest intentions, and natural ability. I heard you talking with Will in the yard and it was obvious how curious you were but you showed great strength in trying to convince Will to wait until morning. You also have shown to be very quiet and great at observing. My skills are among the best in the Ranger Corps and yet you seemed to be able to detect whenever I was watching you. You were also able to pinpoint wherever I was in a room. Several times, I noticed that you would see me when no one else was paying attention. You show how kind and caring you are in every action throughout the day. Others would not see it but I am trained to notice it. Several times while Will was feeling nervous, you were able to relax him by touching his hand and you knew exactly when to do so. You also pick up trash from the path and walk the extra distance to put it in the rubbish bins. You were curious, you have good morals, and you have a natural ability for climbing and moving silently. You were a perfect opportunity," Halt told her. She nodded at his explanation and hesitated before asking her next question.

"What is your relation to Will?" she questioned.

"My relation to Will? Other than his potential to be a good apprentice, there is none," Halt told her.

"That's not true. You were proud when he chose to accept whatever punishment the Baron might give him. You have some relation to him and this relation caused you to consider him as an apprentice which helped you to notice me," she argued.

"Well done, I do have some relation to him, but that is my business alone. I cannot discuss that with you," he said in a calm voice. She nodded.

"I don't know how long Will is going to talk with the Baron. Would you tell him I've gone to bed?" Isabel asked. He gave a short nod and she walked away without looking back.

Contrary to what she had told Halt, she wasn't going to go to bed just yet. She was very anxious about her new position as a Ranger's apprentice and she needed to get rid of her nerves. This was why she headed out to the pasture where the horses were grazing in the middle. She jumped the fence and looked around before walking over to the horses. They noticed her walking over and gave small sounds of welcome. They had learned to not run over to her right when she came to visit them because then others would hear the ruckus and come to punish their friend. She stopped once she was standing in the middle of the herd of horses and closed her eyes. As she opened her senses, she became aware of the nature around her.

"_Why are you distressed?_" one of the horses asked her.

"_I am going to become a Ranger's apprentice_," she answered softly. They sent her a feeling of understanding and she closed her eyes.

"_I'm not sure how I will hide my gift with the Ranger Halt looming over my shoulder. It feels so wrong when I don't talk to you and I'm afraid that it will become obvious when I start to sneak out to speak with the animals,_" she told them. A blue bird flew up from a nearby tree and she held up a finger so it could land.

"_You can always sing to us birds in the morning and we'll sing back to you. You will never truly be alone as long as you can speak and hear our voices,_" The bird told her.

"_I just feel lost. I know that logically I'll probably be fine, but I just feel so nervous. Halt is a Ranger and he'll be really observant. I just hope they don't find out about my gift,_" she reminded them.

"_You refer to your abilities as a gift but you view it as a curse. If your friend, Will, was to find out, do you really think he would reject you?_" One of the horses asked.

"_No, but it's part of my nature to worry. I'll miss you all_," she answered.

"_We'll be fine. You will get a Ranger horse and I'm sure no one would object if you choose to accept a hunting falcon or other bird,_" the blue jay reassured her. She gave it a small smile and threw her hand in the air so he could fly away. She started to walk back to the fence and flipped over it with ease. She slowly walked back to the Ward building and slipped into her room.

**The next day, Isabel POV**

It felt strange leaving the castle after all these years. Will and Isabel turned back at the bottom of the hill, their small bundle of belongings sling over their shoulders, and stared at the massive walls.  
Castle Redmont dominated the landscape. Built on top of a small hill, it was a massive, three-sided structure, facing roughly west and with a tower at each of the three corners. In the center, projected by the three curtain walls, were the castle yard and the Keep, a fourth tower that soared above the others and housed the Baron's official quarters and his private living apartments, along with those of his senior officers. The castle was built in ironstone - a rock that was almost indestructible and, in the low sun of the early morning or late afternoon, seemed to glow with an inner red light. It was this characteristics that gave the castle its name - Redmont, or Red Mountain.  
At the foot of the hill, and on the other side of the Tarbus River, lay the Wensley Village, a cheerfully haphazard cluster of houses, with an inn and those craft shops necessary to meet the demands of day-to-day country life — a cooper, wheelwright, smithy and harness maker. The land around had been cleared for some distance, both to provide farmlands for the villagers to tend to and to prevent enemies from being able to approach unseen. In times of danger, the villagers would drive their flocks across the wooden bridge that spanned the Tarbus, removing the center span behind them, and seek shelter behind the massive ironstone walls of the castle, protected by the Baron's soldiers and knights trained in Redmont's Battleschool.

Halt's cottage lay some distance away from both the castle and the village, nestling under the shelter of the trees at the edge the of the forest. The sun was just rising over the trees as the two friends made their way up to the log cabin. A thin spiral of smoke was rising from the chimney, so Isabel reasoned that Halt was already up and about. Will stepped up onto the veranda that ran the length of one side of the house, hesitated for a moment, then, taking a deep breath, knocked firmly on the door.

"Come in," Halt said from inside the cabin. Will opened the door and went into the cottage.

It was small but surprisingly neat and comfortable-looking inside. Isabel found herself in the main room, a combined living and dining area, with a small kitchen at one end, separated from the main area by a pine bench. There were comfortable chairs arranged around a fire, a well-scrubbed wooden table and pots and pans that gleaned from lots of polishing. There was even a vase of brightly colored wildflowers in the mantel shelf, and the early morning sun streamed through a large window. Three other rooms led off the main room.

Halt sat in one of the chairs, his booted feet resting on the table.

"At least you're on time," he said gruffly. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Yes, sir," Will answered, staring in fascination at the Ranger. This was the first time either of them had seen Halt without his gray-green cloak and hood. The Ranger was now wearing simple brown and gray woolen clothes and soft-looking leather boots. He was older than Isabel had realized. His hair and beard were short and dark, but speckled with steel gray flecks. They were both roughly trimmed and it looked as though Halt had just cut them himself with his hunting knife.

The Ranger stood up from his position in one swift move. He was surprisingly small in build. That was also something she had never realized. The gray cloak hat concealed a lot about Halt. He was slim and not very tall. In fact, he was considerably shorter than average height. But there was a sense of power and whipcord strength about him so that his lack of height and bulk didn't make him any less daunting a figure.

"Finished staring?" The Ranger asked suddenly. Will jumped at the sudden noise, but Isabel just dropped her eyes to the floor and nodded meekly.

"Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!" Will said quickly. Halt grunted and pointed at one of the rooms as he looked at Will.

"That'll be your room, boy," he told Will. Then Halt pointed to one of the small rooms Isabel had noticed when she entered.

"That's yours, girl," he told Isabel pointing to the room in between Will's and the other empty room. Isabel turned and walked into the room that Halt had indicated. It was small but, like the rest of the cottage, it was clean and comfortable looking. A small bed lay alongside one wall. There was a wardrobe for clothes and a rough table with a washing basin and a jug on it. There was also another vase of wildflowers adding a bright spot of color to the room. She put her small bundle of clothes and belongings on the bed and went back into the main room.

Halt was still busy by the stove and Will was standing just a few feet behind him. Will coughed apologetically to get the Ranger's attention. Halt continued to stir coffee into a pot on the stove. Will coughed again.

"Got a cold, boy?" Halt asked without turning around. Isabel tried to hide her smile.

"Er … no sir," Will said in an embarrassed tone.

"Then why are you coughing?" Halt asked, turning around to face them.

"Well, sir," Will began uncertainly, "I just want to ask you … what does a ranger actually _do_?"

"They doesn't ask pointless questions, boy!" Halt told him quickly. "They keep their eyes and ears open and they look and listens and eventually, if they hasn't got too much wool between their ears, they learn!"

"Oh," Will said unconvincingly. "I see." It was obvious that he was still confused and he repeated himself. "I just wondered what Rangers do, is all."

Halt caught the tone of his voice and turned to look at the the two with a strange gleam in his eyes.

"Well then, I suppose I better tell you," Halt started. "What Rangers do, or more correctly, what Rangers' _apprentices _do, is the housework."

Isabel cringed at the words and could see from Will's posture that he realized that he had made a mistake.

"The … housework?" Will repeated. Halt nodded, looking distinctly pleased with himself.

"That's right. Take a look around," Halt told them, gesturing around the interior of the cabin for Will to do so. "See any servants?"

"No, sir" Will said slowly.

"No sir indeed!" Halt agreed. "Because this isn't a mighty castle with a staff of servants. This is a lowly cabin. And it has water to be fetched and firewood to be chopped and floors to be swept and rugs to be beaten. And who do you suppose might do all of those things, boy?"

Will hesitated before answering in a defeated tone, "Would that be me and Isabel, sir?"

"I believe it would be Isabel and you," the Ranger said with a satisfied look. Then the Ranger rattled off a list of instructions crisply. "Bucket there. Barrel outside the door. Water in the river. Axe in the lean-to. Firewood behind the cabin. Broom by the door and I believe you can probably see where the floor might be?"

"Yes, sir," Will answered, beginning to roll up his sleeves. Isabel gave the Ranger a quick nod and then shared a glance with Will. He told her without speaking that he would get the water if she would get the firewood. She nodded and then walked out. As she left the cabin, she heard the Ranger sit down with his cup of coffee and sigh contentedly.

"I'd forgotten how much fun having an apprentice can be," the Ranger mused aloud.

**Will's POV**

Will couldn't believe that such a small and seemingly neat cabin could generate so much cleaning and general maintenance. After he had filled the water barrel with fresh river water (thirty one buckets full), he had helped Isabel finnish stacking the firewood she had already chopped into neat pieces. Then he swept the floor and Isabel beat the rug from the living room. When the rig had been replaced on the floor and all the dust was swept out the door, Halt decided that several of his cooking pots didn't gleam with sufficient intensity.

We'll have to give them a bit of scouring," he said, more or less to himself. Will knew by now that this translated to "_You or Isabel _will have to give them a bit if scouring." So, without a word, he took half of the pots out to the river's edge and half filled them with water and fine sand, scouring and polishing the metal til it gleamed. Isabel did the same next to him with the other half of the pots.

Halt, meanwhile, had moved to a canvas chair on the veranda where he sat reading through a tall pile of what looked to be official communications. Passing by once or twice, Will noticed that several of the papers bore crests and coats of arms, while the vast majority of them were headed with a simple oakleaf design.

When Will returned from the riverbank, he held up the pots for Halt's inspection. The Ranger grimaced at his distorted reflection in the bright copper surface.

"Hmmm. Not bad. Can see my own face in it," he said, then added without a hint of a smile, "May not be such a good thing.

Will didn't say anything but he heard Isabel's giggle from behind him. With anyone else he might have suspected it was a joke, as Isabel clearly thought it was, but with Halt you simply couldn't tell. Halt studied the two apprentices for a second or two, then his shoulders lifted slightly in a shrug and he gestured for them to return the pots to the kitchen. Will was halfway through the door when he heard Halt say behind him:

"Hmmm. That's odd."

Thinking the Ranger might be talking to him, Will paused at the door.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked, trying to keep his disappointment at another chore out of his voice. Each time Halt had found a new chore for either him or Isabel to attend to, he had seemed to begin the instruction with a statement like "How unusual. The living room rug is full of dust." Or "I do believe the stove is in dire need of a new supply of firewood."

It was an affection hat Will had found to be more than a little annoying, although Halt seemed to be quite fond of it. This time, however, it looked as though the Ranger had been genuinely musing to himself as he read through a new report - one of the oakleaf-crested ones, Will noted. Now, the Ranger looked up, a little surprised that Will had addressed him.

"What's that?" Halt asked.

Will shrugged. "Sorry. When you said 'that's odd' I thought you were talking to me."

Halt shook his head several times, still frowning at the report in his hand. "No, no" he said distractedly. "I was just reading this …" His voice trailed away and he frowned thoughtfully. Will, his curiosity roused, waited expectantly.

"What is it?" he finally asked. As the Ranger turned those dark eyes on him, he instantly wished he hadn't. Halt regarded him for a second or two.

"Curious aren't you?" Halt asked at length, and when Will nodded uncomfortably, he went on in an unexpectedly milder tone, "Well, I suppose that's a good trait for a Ranger's apprentice. After all, that's why we tested you with that paper in the Baron's office."

"You tested me?" Will asked incredulously as he handed the pots in his hands to Isabel so she could put them away. "You _expected _us to try to see what it said?"

Halt nodded. "Would have been disappointed if you hadn't. Also, I wanted to see how you would go about it." Then he held up a hand to forestall the torrent of questions that were about to tumble out of Will's mouth.

"We'll discuss that later," he said, glancing meaningfully at the pot that was still in Will's hand. Will went to put it away, but curiosity still burned in him and he turned to the Ranger again.

"So what does it say?" Will asked, nodding toward the report. Again, there was silence as Halt regarded him, perhaps assessing what he would do in reaction to the news.

"Lord Northolt is dead. Apparently killed by a bear last week while out hunting," the Ranger answered finally.

"The former supreme commander of the king's army?" Isabel asked before Will could ask who the man was. Halt gave her an approving nod.

"What's so odd about it? Bears do kill people from time to time," Will said, confused.

"True, But I would have thought that Cordom Fief was a little far west for bears. And I would have also thought that Northolt was too experienced a hunter to go after one alone," Halt said with a shrug as if he was dismissing the thought. "But then again, life is full of surprises and people do make mistakes."

Will turned to put away the pot in his hand and found that it was no longer there, instead hanging in its rightful place on the wall. Will concluded that Isabel must have taken it from him while he was talking but he hadn't ever noticed that she had taken it. She was now cleaning out the fireplace and gave Will a small nod when he looked to her. He shook his head and went to work on his next chore.

{Hello my wonderful readers! First things first, I'm really bored thankful to all of you for reading. I do have a big plan so I hope y'all like it. Also, I am a selfish human being and I was looking at a story on my phone and I completely switched tabs as I scrolled through an I accidentally put a review on my own story instead of the one I was reading. I can't figure out how to delete it and I'm a huge idiot for doing that. So if that annoyed/confused you, sorry. Now, I'm going to address my reviews.

**AreiaCannaid - **Thanks! I checked out the actual book at my library and I'm trying to follow the storyline as closely as possible. But I really felt that the Ranger Corps needed some female spirit and the Royal Ranger didn't really satisfy me. And thank you for reviewing!

**Oriande Moonshadow - **Thank you! I'm glad you're excited to hear more because I plan to update as often as once a week. I am still in school though so I might be a bit lazy about publishing each new chapter. I've already got a huge idea so while this story will only encompass the first book, I'm going to make several sequels. I have a plan for Isabel's parentage but I'm not going to reveal that at the very beginning.

**Butterfly - **I've already gotten the first three chapters typed up and that's exactly what I have planned.

Thanks for reading! ~ Sugar }


	3. Chapter 3

**Isabel's POV**

Sometime late in the afternoon, Halt finally ran out of jobs for Isabel and Will. He looked around for a second before speaking.

Hmmm. Not bad," he said evenly. "Not bad at all."

"Can you cook?" Halt asked the two of them. Isabel bit her lip.

"Cook, sir?" Will asked uncertainly. Halt rolled his eyes.

"Why do young people invariably answer a question with another question?" he asked, then, receiving no reply, he continued. "Yes, cook. Prepare food so that one might eat it. Make meals. I assume you know what food is - what meals are?"

"Yes," Will answered uncertainly.

"Well, as I told you both earlier, this is no grand castle. If we want to eat food here, we have to cook food here," Halt told them. There was that word _we _again. Every time Halt said _we must_, it seemed to translate to _you must_.

"Neither of us can cook," Isabel admitted, and Halt clapped his hands and rubbed them together.

"Of course you can't. Most boys can't. And I know Isabel didn't try to get Master Chubb to accept her for the kitchens. So I'll have to show you how. Come on," Halt told them. The Ranger lead them to the kitchen and introduced them mysteries of cooking, peeling and chopping onions, choosing a piece of beef from the meat safe, trimming it and cutting it into neat cubes, then chopping vegetables, searing the beef in a sizzling pan, and finally adding a dash of red wine and what Halt called his "secret ingredients." The result was a savory smelling stew simmering on the top of the stove.

Now, as they waited for dinner to be ready, they sat on the veranda and talked quietly.

"The Rangers were founded over one hundred years ago, in King Herbert's reign. Do you know anything about him?" Halt asked them. Isabel noticed that Will was starting to nod to try to look smart in front of Halt so she quickly cut him off.

"We learned about him in history lessons in the Ward, but neither of us paid much attention. We don't know a lot about him other than the fact that he was often called 'the Father of Modern Araluen'," Isabel told Halt quickly. He gave her a small nod of acknowledgement and turned to Will.

"Boy, if you don't know something, don't try to bluff your way through it. Simply tell me 'I don't know', is that clear?" Halt asked. Will nodded sheepishly and Halt cleared his throat to continue.

"He was the one who drove the northern clans back over the border into the HIghlands. As Isabel said, he was often called the Father of Modern Araluen because he created the union between the fifty fiefs that is still in our structure today. At the time, King Herbert felt that to remain safe, the kingdoms needed an effective intelligence force," Halt explained.

"An intelligent force?" Will asked.

"Not intelligent. _Intelligence_. Though it does help if your intelligence force is also intelligent. Intelligence is the knowledge of what your enemies, or your potential enemies, are up to. What they're planning. What they're thinking. If you know that sort of thing in advance, you can usually come up with a plan to stop them. That's why he formed the Rangers- to keep the kingdom informed. To act as the eyes and ears of the kingdom," Halt told them

"How do you do that?" Will asked. Isabel could hear the genuine interest in his voice and she couldn't help but give in to a small smile.

"We keep our eyes and ears open. We patrol the kingdom- and beyond. We listen. We observe. We report back," Halt said, and Isabel could hear the small bit of pride Halt had as he said this.

"Is that the reason why you can make yourselves invisible?" Will asked.

"We can't make ourselves invisible. People just think we can. What we do is make ourselves very hard to see. It takes years of learning and practice to do it properly- but you two both already have the skills required," Halt explained.

"We do?" Will asked.

"When you crossed the castle yard last night, you used the shadows and the movement of the night to conceal yourselves, didn't you?" Halt prompted. Will nodded excitedly.

"We use the same principles: to blend into the background. To use it to conceal us. To become part of it," Halt continued.

"I see," Will said slowly.

"The trick is to make sure that no one else does," Halt told him. Isabel giggled but quickly hid her mouth with her hand when Halt turned to look at her.

"How many Rangers are there?" Will asked.

"King Herbert established the Ranger Corps at fifty. One for each of the fifty fiefdoms. I'm based here. My colleagues are based at the other forty-nine castles throughout the kingdom," Haltanswered.

"In addition to providing intelligence about potential enemies, Rangers are the law keepers. We patrol the fiefdom assigned to us and make sure laws are being obeyed," Halt told them.

"I thought Baron Arald did that," Will started. Halt shook his head.

"Baron Arald is a judge. People bring their complaints to them so he can settle them. Rangers enforce the law. If a crime has been committed, we look for evidence. We're particularly suited for that role since people often don't realize we're around. We investigate to see who's responsible," Halt interrupted.

"What happens then?" Will asked.

"Sometimes we report back to the baron of that fief and he'll have the person arrested and charged. Sometimes, if it's a matter of urgency, we just … deal with it," Halt replied.

"What do we do?" Will inquired. Isabel cringed as Halt gave the boy a long considering look.

"Not too much if we've only been an apprentice for a few hours," Halt told him. "Those of us who have been Rangers for twenty years or more tend to know what to do without asking." Will gave an embarrassed nod.

"Then, in times of war, we act as special troops- guiding the armies, scouting before them, going behind enemy lines to cause grief and so on. It's a bit more exciting than farmwork," Halt told Will. Isabel again couldn't stop herself from giggling.

"What sort of enemies?" Will asked.

"Enemies from within and without. People like the Skandian sea raiders- or Morgarath and his Wargals," Halt explained. Will cringed and Isabel grimaced recalling some of the horrid stories they had been told about Morgarath, the Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night. Halt nodded somberly at their reactions.

"Yes," Halt agreed, "Morgarath and his Wargals are definitely people to be worried about. That's why Rangers keep an eye on them. We like to know if they're gathering, or if they're preparing for war."

"Still," Will said in a forced confident tone,"the last time they attacked, the baron's armies made mincemeat out of them."

"That's true," Halt said simply, "But only because they had been warned of the attack…" He paused and looked meaningfully at Will.

"By a Ranger?" the boy asked.

"Correct. It was a Ranger who brought word that Morgarath's Wargals were on their way… then led the calvary across a secret ford so they could flank the enemy," Halt told them.

"It was a great victory," Will stated.

"It certainly was. And all due to a ranger's alertness and skill, and knowledge of back trails and secret paths," Halt said evenly.

"My father died in that battle," Will said in a quieter voice.

"Is that so?" Halt asked.

"He was a hero. A mighty knight. That's why I was so keen to get into Battleschool, to follow in his footsteps," Will continued. Halt looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it.

"You have other talents and you will be able to serve the kingdom just as well as a Ranger," Halt told him. The Ranger got up and motioned for them to follow him for dinner.

**Halt's POv (the next morning)**

"It's time you learned about the weapons you'll be using," Halt told them. They had eaten breakfast before sunrise and now Isabel and Will followed Halt into the forest. They'd walked for about half an hour with Halt showing them how to glide from one patch of shade to the next, as silently as possible. Both of the two apprentices were quick learners and did well at the art of unseen movement as Halt had already remarked. The boy was keen to learn and the girl adapted effortlessly. However, the boy didn't seem to prefer map reading and chart drawing. Isabel knew exactly what things she needed to remember and her maps were beautifully rendered. It was quite the opposite with Will and he tended to skip over details that he saw as unimportant until Halt told him that "You'd find these skills would become a lot more important if you were planning a route for a company of heavy cavalry and forgot to mention there's a stream in the way." Will had tried to do better after that and Halt was pleased with the progress he had made. On the other hand, he was amazed at the girl's skills. He hadn't told Baron Arald, but he had had an immensely difficult time trying to keep track of her when she went with Will to retrieve the paper. She had also noticed him as soon as she entered the room and tried to warn Will. It was obvious to anyone who looked hard enough that she tried to always do the right thing and she was extremely instinctive about her surroundings. The boy had been too nervous to respond to any jokes that the Baron and Halt had thrown at him, though Isabel seemed to have been able to read the two of them easily and ascertain that they weren't a threat. She was also a great observer and listener. She knew exactly when to let a person speak and could pick up hints whenever a person wanted to be acknowledged or questioned. But to top all of that, her honesty was what had made him choose her as a potential apprentice. She always told the truth when specifically asked and held back comments when no one wanted them. She tried to never lie and just by being around the boy, she had made him try to be better and more hard working.

Now, as they stopped in a clearing, Halt dropped small bundle that had been concealed beneath his cloak. He noticed that Will was regarding the bundle doubtfully while Isabel seemed content waiting for Halt to give instructions.

"What sort of weapons? Do we have swords?" Will asked hopefully, his eyes glued to the bundle.

"A Ranger's principal weapons are stealth and silence and their ability not to be seen. But if they fail, then you may need to be able to fight," Halt told them. Isabel gave a nod of acknowledgement while Will frowned.

"So then we have a sword," he inquired. Halt knelt and unwrapped the bundle.

"No. We have a bow," Halt told them as he set one in front of each of them. Both of them were quiet as they studied the bow. They both picked them up and Will's face showed a hint of confusion.

"It's called a recurve bow. You're not strong enough to handle a full longbow yet, so the double curve will give you you extra arrow speed and power with a lower draw weight. I learned to make them from the Temujai," Halt explained.

"Who are the Temujai?" asked Will, looking up from the bow.

"Fierce fighting men from the east. And probably the world's finest archers," Halt replied evenly.

"You fought against them?" Will asked.

"Against them … and with them for a time. Stop asking so many questions," Halt told the boy. He didn't need to direct that order to Isabel because she had proven to be a silent observer and seemed quite eager to let Will ask all the questions.

"Can I shoot it?" Will asked. Halt nodded.

"If you feel that's a good idea, go ahead," he said, without any hint of warning. Isabel made to speak and Halt gave her a quick glance telling her to let Will learn his lesson. She frowned at him but didn't say anything.

Will chose an arrow from one of the quivers that had been in the bundle alongside the bows and fitted it to the string of the bow in his hands. He pulled the arrow back with his thumb and forefinger, aimed at a tree trunk some twenty meters away and fired.

_Whack_

The heavy bowstring slapped into the soft flesh on Will's arm and the boy cried out in pain, dropping the bow like it was red hot. Already, a red welt was forming on Will's arm and Isabel quietly went to go grab the arrow.

"That hurt!" Will exclaimed, looking accusingly at the Ranger. Halt shrugged in response.

"You're always in a hurry, youngster. That may teach you to wait a little next time," Halt told the boy. Isabel came back into his line of view as she put the arrow back in the quiver and went to stand by Will. Halt had been watching Will and he knew that Isabel had been as well, so it surprised him that the girl had been able to find the arrow so easily. She didn't say anything as she went over to the boy's side and Halt was again trying not to smile as she effortlessly kept attention, and praise, off of herself.

Halt knelt down to the bundle and pulled out two long cuff links made of stiff leather. He slid one onto each of his apprentices' left arms so that it would protect them from the backlash.

"Now try again," he ordered Will. Will chose another arrow and placed it on the string. As he went to draw it back, Halt stopped him.

"Not with the thumb and the forefinger. Let the arrow rest between the first and second fingers on the string … like this," Halt told Will. He rearranged the boy's fingers so that he was holding the arrow against the string properly.

"That's better," he said as the boy brought the arrow back, "Try to use your back muscles, not just your arms. Feel as if you're pushing your shoulder blades together …"

Will fired and this time he actually hit the tree he was aiming for. Granted, his arrow was well off from where Halt could see that the boy had wanted it to go, but it was better than the last time. Halt turned to Isabel and gave her a nod to go ahead. She knocked the arrow the string exactly as he had shown Will and drew it back following every instruction that Halt had previously given. Her stance was perfect as she aimed at a tree some thirty meters away. She fired and Halt noticed that she cringed when the arrow hit the tree trunk a little bit above where she had wanted it to go. He made note of her accuracy and had to stop himself from smirking when he thought about how her skill could surpass even that of the most experienced Rangers if it was cultivated.

"You need to practice," Halt told both of them, "Put them down for now."

Halt knelt down to the bundle once more and pulled out two double scabbards like the one he wore on the left-hand side of his own belt. He handed one to each of them and they took it carefully. Halt didn't miss the way Will turned it over in his hands studying it or the way Isabel's eyes scanned it as she flipped it in her hands, getting a feel of it. The knives were set one above the other. The top knife was the shorter of the two. It had a thick, heavy grip made of a series of leather discs set one above the other. There was a brass crosspiece between the hilt and the blade and it had a matching brass pommel.

"These are Rangers' knives. Take it out, carefully," Halt ordered. Will slid the first knife out of the scabbard slowly while Isabel took it out and examined it. This knife was probably unlike any knife either of them had ever at the hilt, it tapered out sharply , becoming thicker and wider for three quarters of its length to form a broad blade with the weight concentrated toward the tip, then a steep reverse taper created a razor-sharp point.

"It's for throwing," he told the as Will gave him a curious look. "The extra weight at the tip balances the weight of the hilt. And the combined weight of the two helps drive the knife home as you throw it. Watch."

His hand moved smoothly and swiftly to the broad-bladed knife at his own waist. He flicked it free from the scabbard and, in one smooth action, sent it spinning toward a nearby tree. The knife thudded home into the wood with a satisfying _thock!_ Will looked at Halt with an impressed look and Isabel regarded him with a small smile as if she were proud to be his apprentice.

"How'd you learn to do that?" Will asked.

"Practice," Halt replied simply. He gestured for them to inspect the second knife and they pulled it out of their scabbards. This one was longer. The handle was the same leather disc construction, and there was a short , sturdy crosspiece. The blade was heavy and straight, razor-sharp on one side, thick and heavy on the other.

"This is in case your enemy gets into close quarters," Halt explained, "Although if you're any sort of archer, he never will. It's balanced for throwing, but you can also block a sword stroke with that blade. It's made by the finest steelsmiths in the kingdom. Look after it and keep it sharp."

"I will," the boy agreed softly. Isabel gave a quick nod as she admired the blade in her hands.

"It's similar to what the Skandians call a saxe knife," said Halt. Will frowned at the unfamiliar name and Halt was surprised when he opened his mouth to continue, that Isabel beat him to it.

"It's both a weapon and a tool - a sea axe originally. But over time the words slid together to become saxe," Isabel explained quickly.

"Mind you, the quality of the steel in ours is a long way superior superior to the Skandian ones," Halt added. He showed them how to strap the double scabbard to their belts and his hand fell naturally to the knife hilts.

"Now," he told them, "all you have to do is learn how to use them. And you know what that means, don't you?"

"Practice," his apprentices simultaneously.

"A lot of practice," Halt agreed. He motioned for them to start and they did so immediately. For the next few hours, he let them keep shooting over and over again at different targets. He set up a small piece of fabric on each of the different trees, all different colors, and called out instructions as his apprentices worked.

"Black!"

"Red!"

"Orange!"

"Purple!"

"White!"

"Red!"

"Yellow!"

"Green!"

Isabel managed to hit the right tree every time and her aim got gradually better until she was hitting the outer edge of the fabric each time. Will had a few mistakes at the beginning regarding which tree he was supposed to hit, but his aim also improved. After Halt was satisfied with their progress, he had them set their bows away and get out their smaller throwing knifes. He showed them how to throw it properly and then let the practice hitting different targets. Will mastered how to throw the knife and have it hit the tree the right way within an hour but his aim still needed a lot of work. Isabel mastered the technique even faster and Halt noticed that sometimes she would purposely throw off target so it seemed as though she were doing worse than Will. Will didn't ever notice her purposefully doing badly but Halt caught it and he was again impressed by her morals. She didn't seem like she wanted Will to feel bad about himself just because she was doing better than him.

{Hey guys! This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I'm stuck. I actually had to split this chapter in half because I kept leaving blank spots. The reason for those blank spots is because I don't know what Isabel's horse should be named. I wrote out the rest of the chapter, but there's an open space everytime the story is supposed to mention Isabel's horse. I know that it should be a girl, but I really need some help on those names! If you have an idea for a name, please leave it in a review! Anyways, here's my reviews for the reviews.

**Oriande Moonshadow - ** Thanks for giving me your feedback. I like your idea about the flashback and I'll try to include that. I was going to make her abilities tie in to a major part of the book, but it seems like a great idea to give her powers some background. It warms my heart that someone finds my story interesting and I hope you stick around. Thanks for the amazing review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Isabel's POV (the next day)**

Halt woke his two apprentices up early and Isabel had to admit that she was curious as to what they were doing. Halt had given them a quick breakfast and told them to pack clothes for the next day and then they had left. Halt had been leading them through the forest at a leisurely slow pace for three hours now. Will had tried to ask questions during the first hour of the journey but Halt wasn't in the mood to answer any of them. They finally came up to a clearing where Isabel saw a cluster of small buildings and a large paddock.

Halt led them up to the largest of the ramshackle huts, then stopped. Isabel and Will stopped on either side of him.

"Hullo, Old Bob!" Halt called out.

Isabel heard someone moving inside the hut, then a wrinkled, bent figure appeared in the doorway. His beard was long and matured and a dirty white color. He was almost completely bald. As he moved towards them, he grinned and nodded a greeting towards Halt. Isabel caught her breath. Old Bob smelled like a stable. Not a very clean one at that, but she could distinctly smell horses on him.

"Morning to you, Ranger!" Old Bob said happily, "Who's this you've brought to see me?"

Old Bob studied Isabel and Will with keen eyes. The eyes were bright and very alert despite his dirty, unkempt appearance.

"This is Isabel and Will, my new apprentices," Halt answered, "Isabel, Will, this is Old Bob."

"Good morning, sir," Isabel said politely. She heard Will echo her a second later. The old man cackled.

"Calls me sir! Hear that, Ranger, calls me sir! Make fine Rangers these ones will!" Old Bob said between laughs. Isabel smiled at him and she knew Will was doing the same. Dirty as he might be, there was something likeable about Old Bob- perhaps it was the fact that he seemed in no way overawed by Halt. Isabel couldn't remember seeing anyone speaking to the grim-faced Ranger in quite this familiar tone before. Halt grunted impatiently.

"Are they ready?" Halt asked. The old man cackled again and nodded several times.

"Ready they are indeed!" Old Bob replied, "Step this way and see them."

He led them to the back of the hut where the paddock was fenced off. At the far side, there was a lean-to shed. Just a roof and supporting posts. No walls. Old Bob let out a piercing whistle and Isabel hid her smile when Will jumped in surprise.

"There they are, see?" Old Bob asked as he pointed to the lean-to. Isabel looked to the lean-to and saw three small horses trotting across the yard to greet the old man. As they came closer, Isabel realized that one was a horse, the other two were ponies. But all three were small, shaggy animals, nothing like the fierce, sleek battle horses that the Baron and his knights rode to war.

The larger of the three immediately trotted to Halt's side and Isabel saw the Ranger give it a small, friendly smile. He patted its neck and handed it an apple from a bin close by the fence. The horse crunched it gratefully as Halt leaned forward and whispered a few words into its ear. The horse tossed its head and neighed, as if it were sharing some it on the private joke with the Ranger.

The two ponies waited by Old Bob until he had given them each an apple. Then they turned their intelligent eyes upon Isabel and Will.

"This 'un's called Tug," the old man told Will, "He looks about your size, don't he?"

He passed the rope bridle to Will, who took it, and looked into the horse's eyes. He was a shaggy little beast. His legs were short, but sturdy, and his body was barrel shaped. His mane and tail were unbrushed and Isabel could tell just by looking at him that the horse was still growing. Though Will probably wasn't very impressed by the horse.

"Well," Halt started, "What do you think of him?" He was fondling the bigger horse's soft nose and it was obvious that they were old friends. Will hesitated as if he didn't want to offend anyone.

"He's sort of … small," Will admitted finally.

"So are you," Halt pointed out. Will couldn't think of an answer to that and Old Bob weezed with laughter.

"He ain't no battle horse, are he, boy?" the old man asked.

"Well … no, he isn't," Will said awkwardly.

"But he'll run any of those fine fancy-looking battle horses into the ground!" Old Bob announced proudly. "He's a strong 'un, this 'un. He'll keep going all day, long after them fancy horses horses have laid down and died."

"I'm sure he will," Will said in an attempt to be polite. Though they could all see his doubt.

"Why don't you see?" Halt suggested as he leaned against the paddock fence, "You're fast on your feet. Turn him loose and see if you can capture him again."

Will sensed the challenge in the Ranger's voice and dropped the rope bridle. The horse, realizing this was a test for Will, skipped lightly away into the center of the small enclosure. Will ducked under the fence rails and walked softly toward the ony.

"Come on, Tug," Will called, "Stand still there."

He reached out his hand for the bridle and the little horse suddenly wheeled away. It shied to one side, then the other, then sidestepped neatly around Will and danced backward out of reach.

Will tried again.

Again, the horse evaded him easily. Isabel could see the muscles working underneath the horse's shaggy hair and she smiled upon realizing that the horse would be much faster than Will. And so it went, each time Will would approach the horse, it would duck, dodge, and escape. Isabel got tired of the game and gave a short whistle. Will turned to look at her and she ducked her head to the ground. He followed her gaze and grabbed an apple from the in that was sitting just outside of the fence.

"Clever boy, that!" Old Bob cackled. "Clever _and _polite! This 'un'll make a good team with Tug, won't he?"

Will patted the shaggy neck and Isabel smiled as she saw him pet the pricked-up ears.

"Well, that just leaves you, missy. I got a good 'un for ya. This here is Shadow. She's one of the best Ranger horses I've ever trained. You want to try to catch her without the apple?" the old man asked. Isabel nodded once and ducked under the fence. Old Bob let go of Shadow and the horse immediately skipped away. Isabel gave the horse a small smile before walking straight to the middle of the paddock and sitting down. She paid no attention to the horse and hummed to herself as she let her fingers play with the grass. It didn't take long for the horse to get curious and slowly approach her. Isabel didn't stop her humming and acted as though she hadn't heard the horse. Shadow crept up a bit further and kept coming slowly towards the girl. Finally, the horse was close enough for Isabel to reach out and grab the reins, but she didn't want to repeat Will's mistake of underestimating the horse's speed. The horse came up a bit more until the rope bridle was brushing against Isabel's hair and Isabel reacted. She swung an arm behind her and grasped the bridle firmly in her hand as she got to her feet. Then she led Shadow back over to where the boys had been watching her. Wil looked proud and Halt looked contemplative, but Old Bob was shocked.

"I ain't never seen anyone pull a trick like that! How'd ya know to do it?" the old man asked.

"Without the use of an apple, I knew I would never be able to catch her based on how well Tug performed. When you first called the horses to us I noticed their alertness and how they seemed to be trying to watch their surroundings at all times. I just used that curiosity against her, though I probably won't be able to pull the same trick twice," Isabel answered. She hadn't really thought much about doing it, it just seemed like a good plan, so she went with it. Halt gave her a tiny smile to show that he approved of her explanation and she slipped a hand into the apple barrel to give one to Shadow.

"Now, let's all head in. Tomorrow we'll see if you can ride them," Halt told them. The two apprentices nodded and headed to bed. They both missed the hushed conversation going on behind them.

**Halt's POV**

"She sure is something," Old Bob told him, "I'm pretty sure she'll be the best Ranger in the corps if you can start her on the basics. She's just got this way about her that makes it hard to notice her. She just seems to blend into the background of any situation. She was right next to me the entire time we were watching Will try to catch Tug and I kinda forgot she was there. Though the fact that she's a gal might make it harder for some people to trust her. I think you should keep it quiet that you've started to train the first Ranger gal."

Halt nodded as he considered his friend's words.

"You haven't seen her shoot yet. I had them both working all day yesterday and I must admit that her skills amaze me. She has a natural instinct for aiming and can use the exact amount of force to get her arrows to their target. And that's not all. She's fast. Way faster than an apprentice should be and she has the stamina to match her new horse. She's the quietest kid you'll ever meet and it sometimes happens that I lose track of her. All of this makes her the perfect candidate I could have chosen for an apprentice and I look forward to seeing her in action once her training's finished. She'll give all of the Ranger Corps a run for their money," Halt admitted. Old Bob smiled and nodded.

"What about her sixth sense? You told me about that in one of your letters and I just had to ask," the old man prompted.

"That sixth sense I told you about is basically her almost magical ability to adapt to any situation and person. Will seems a bit scared of me but Isabel can read exactly when I try to make a joke and exactly when I switch to being serious. She cares for the boy a great deal, but I've found that they both view her as the angel on Will's shoulder. She can just read a person and change her feelings and act as the perfect person for anything you need. She would've been a good spy, but I'm pleased that I was able to grab her first," he agreed. Old Bob smiled at the younger man's response.

"You seem quite fond of her," the old man stated bluntly.

"Yeah. She's just got this way about her that makes it hard to be mad at her. She just seems to have this calm, peaceful mood that just radiates from her. I bet she could charm the socks off a Temujai. We better head in, unless you want to leave those two teens unsupervised?" Halt asked, changing the subject. Old Bob nodded and they both walked back inside.

**Isabel's POV **

She waited until everyone was fast asleep before slowly getting up and sneaking out. She slid silently across the wood floor and she silently praised Halt's training. She exited the small building and walked straight over to where the horses were grazing in the field. She jumped the fence and went over to them with a small smile. Halt's horse looked a bit wary, but Tug and Shadow trotted straight over to her.

"_How are you, my friends?" _She asked softly. The horses looked a bit surprised, but Isabel could have sworn that they were smiling.

"_We are well, youngling. My name is Abelard, you are Isabel?" _the large horse guessed.

"_I am. Do you enjoy it here?"_ she inquired. The horses snorted in laughter.

"_Old Bob coddles us, it would be hard for any horse not to enjoy it here. When did you gain the ability to converse with us?"_ Shadow questioned. Isabel looked down at her feet.

**/flashback/**

It was Isabel's twelfth birthday, but she didn't feel like celebrating. Will had completely forgotten her birthday and was now inulting Horace from the safety of a tall tree. Alyss had been talking to Jenny about how stupid the boys were, and Isabel's hopes of them remembering were dashed. She didn't want anyone to feel guilty about missing her birthday, but it hurt that she had no one to celebrate with. She had told them all that she was going for a walk, and they had just waved her away.

Now, she tried not to cry as she stumbled through the forest.

"_Poor dear, no one should be lonely on their day of birth,"_ she heard a high pitched voice say. It felt like their voice was somehow different and she tried to match them.

"_Who said that?"_ She asked. She was pleased to see that her voice perfectly matched the strange undertone that the other person had used.

"_My goodness! You can hear me? That's very unusual! Wait here, I'll get Owl. He always seems to know what's up,"_ the person told her. Isabel could now tell that the voice was distinctly female, but she couldn't figure out what made the woman's voice sound so weird. It sounded musical, but it was like nothing she had ever heard before. Like a multitude of beautiful sounds that shouldn't have been smushed together, but sounded heavenly all the same. Isabel heard a flap of wings and turned to see an old owl and a robin sitting on a branch in front of her.

"_Hello, Mr. Owl and Mrs. Robin, you look very nice today," _she told them, mimicking the woman's voice from earlier. She almost fainted when they actually responded.

"_Hello to you as well. It's been a while since I talked with one of your kind," _the owl replied. His voice had a similar musical quality to it, but the pitch seemed just a tiny bit different.

"_I told you, owl, she's speaking to us! How is that possible?"_ the robin asked. Isabel recognized the voice from earlier and her eyes widened in shock.  
"_I've heard of people who sing and talk to the birds, but the birds never speak back! What's wrong with me?" _she cried. The owl fluttered its wings.

"_You're able to talk to us. And we're able to talk to you. There's very few people who can, but that's that. No need to get upset. It's a simple matter," _he told her. Isabel frowned.

"_Simple matter? This is no simple matter, I might be crazy!" _She told them. The robin clicked her beak.

"_The Earth is an amazing place and not many people appreciate it as you do. Neither of us have any idea how, but you can speak with us and that's that. What in that causes you grief?" _The robin asked in a disapproving voice. She tried to explain why she was so doubtful, but the two birds shot her down every time. Isabel talked with them for the rest of the day and when she finally left the forest, she was happy. This was far from normal, but she had had a good birthday.

**/back to normal time/**

"_Just bearing three years. Is it common for people to talk to you?" _She asked, curious to see if there was anyone like her.

"_Not exactly. Ranger horses have the ability to express our thoughts to our riders. It's not perfect, but it works well enough. I haven't ever met someone who can speak our language," _Tug answered. Isabel nodded and accepted the explanation. She talked for a little while longer before yawning and heading back to bed.

{Thank you all for continuing to read! I hope you liked it! I am SUPER sorry for not updating. My idiot computer logged out of FanFiction and it wouldn't let me back in! I'm finally back and I hope you all can forgive me.

**Oriande Moonshadow** \- I would like to thank you for your review and I promise I do have an idea for her "fatal flaw". You'll see what it is later. Thanks! ;)

One more time I'm just saying thanks to everyone who read this! ~ Sugar}


	5. Chapter 5

So I am probably the world's most non-tech-savvy person in the entire universe. My Google Docs will not open! I can access all my other stories through a different site because I had copied them over to Word, but my Ranger's Apprentice document wasn't saved correctly. I have almost six new chapters written up, but I can't access them! I scheduled an appointment for my computer because it is awful, so hopefully that will help. Sorry for the inconvenience and I will try to update as soon as my freaking Google Docs lets me back in.


	6. Chapter 6

{This chapter is all from Horace's POV}

**(starting way back a little less than a week after the choosing ceremony)**

Horace dropped his pack on the floor of the dormitory and fell across his bed, groaning with relief.

Every muscle in his body ached. He had no idea when he signed up that he could feel so sore, so worn-out. He had no idea that there were so many muscles in the human body that could feel this way. Not for the first time. He wondered if he was going to get through the three years of Battleschool training. He'd been a cadet for less than a week and already he was a total physical wreck.

When he'd applied for Battleschool, Horace had a vague notion of glittering, armor-clad knights doing battle, while lesser folk stood by and watched in awed admiration. Quite a few of those lesser folks, in his mental picture, had been attractive girls. To him, Battleschool had been a place of glamour and adventure, and Battleschool cadets were people that others looked up to and envied.

The reality was something else. So far, Battleschool cadets were people who rose before dawn and spent the hour before breakfast doing a severe course of physical training: running, lifting weights, standing in lines of ten or more to lift and hold heavy logs above their heads. Exhausted by all of this, they were then returned to their quarters, where they had the opportunity to take a shower -the water was cold- before making sure the dormitory and ablutions block were absolutely spotless. Quarters inspection came after that and it was painstaking. Sir Karel, the wiry old knight who carried out the inspection, knew every trick in the book when it came to taking shortcuts in cleaning the dormitory , making your bed, and stowing your kit. The slightest infringement on the part of one of the twenty boys would mean that all of their kits would scattered across the floor, their beds turned over, the rubbish bins emptied on the floor, and they would have to start again - in the time they should have been eating breakfast.

Breakfast was nothing special. In fact, Horace thought it was rather bland and boring. But if you missed it, it was a long hard morning until lunch hour, which, in keeping with the spartan life of Battleschool, was only twenty minutes long.

After breakfast, there were classes for two hours in military history, the theory of tactics, and so on. Then, the cadets were usually required to run the obstacle course - a series of obstacles designed to test agility, speed, strength, and balance. There was a minimum time of five minutes and any cadet who had failed was forced to run it again. It was rare that anyone completed the course without falling or tripping into one of the scattered mud piles, puddles of dirty water, or other unpleasant things. That meant another cold shower that would take up half of the lunch time. As a result, Horace's impressions of the first week of Battleschool were a combination of aching muscles and gnawing hunger.

If you annoyed a teacher during class or broke a rule, the entire class would run a two mile stretch carrying rock filled packs.

Horace had never been fitter in his life. He had a natural ability as an athlete, but now he was pushing those to the limits and even further. He pushed on and on and he found himself progressing at a rate higher than his classmates'.

Horace had just gotten back from one of the punishments runs when he walked into the dormitory. He ran right into Bryn, Alda, and Jerome. They were second-year cadets who enjoyed bullying Horace. Horace had now way of knowing that the systematic type of bulking they used was completely forbidden and so he suffered through it every day. He had no friends among his year of cadets because no one wanted to risk angering the horrid trio.

Right now, the bullies were leading Horace outside.

"Pick that up!" Jerome yelled, pointing to a rock. Horace picked it up.

"Hold it over your head and stand in the stream!" Bryn ordered. Horace did as he was asked and felt his arms tremble under the weight of the large rock.

"Stay here and count to one thousand. If you put the rock down before that, we'll know," Alda shouted at him. Horace felt a burning sensation in his eyes and he forced himself not to cry.

Once he had counted to one thousand, he walked back inside. Cold, wet, and tired. He was pretty sure he hated Battleschool.

**(a few days later)**

During one of his training sessions with wooden swords, Horace was hacking away at the post in front of him. He was completely in tune to the older knight's orders and anticipated them as they came.

Slash right, then an uppercut, now backside, block counterstrike, feint left, hit to the shoulder, now feint right, quick two slashes left.

After the practice was over, Horace was called over to the knight and Sir Rodney (who had been watching the drills).

"Horace, did you know you've been adding an extra stroke with your sword during each drill? It's almost reflexive. How long have you been doing this?" Sir Rodney asked.

"I have? I didn't notice, sir," Horace was immediately trying to think of what punishment they would give him for adding an extra stroke. He had no way of knowing that it was actually a sign of a master swordsman and a good thing too.

"That's all right, I also noticed you've been kind of a loner in your classes?" Sir Rodney said with a questioning tone. _It's because they don't want to be bullied like I am_, Horace thought sadly.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said, trying to keep his voice even. Sir Rodney waved him away and Horace walked off slowly. _I'm most definitely in trouble now, just a matter of time before they kick me out, _he chastised himself bitterly.

He had no way of knowing that Sir Rodney was staring after him with a frown. Wondering what was causing such a promising boy to ostracize himself from his fellow cadets.

**(no set time)**

Battleschool went on as usual and Horace suffered through all of it. At Harvest Day, he had tried to relax with his former ward mates, but, having just been punished by the three bullies, he had been in a bad mood and had angered Will into a fight. Horace had been punished after that, and he was even more miserable. Knights were supposed to be righteous. They didn't provoke people just because they were having a bad day. Horace wanted to be a knight, but Battleschool was torture. He often thought about dropping out, but he would have nowhere else to go. He didn't want to become a farmer's aide, and his ward mates would be so disappointed in him.

The only peace he ever got was when he slept. And even then, it didn't last. He would close his eyes and try to rest his tired limbs and he would be instantly thrown into a wonderful dream. But each morning, he was woken up early and the horrid cycle began again. It seemed endless and Horace was sure that he would never make it through.

That was when he was given the opportunity of a lifetime.

"Would you like to join the Battlemaster and I on a boar hunt?"

{I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! My computer absolutely hates me, auto-correct loves torturing me, my keyboard won't work, and my internet is super slow. I really have been trying to update this for the past WEEK, but technology despises me. I'll try to get it to work for next week, but no promises, this darn piece of snicker doodle is not working for me. If you guys have any comments, I'd love to hear them. Also to Oriande, I do have a weakness planned out. Thanks for reading ~ Sugar }


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